黑暗 (hēi àn) — dark (lacking light); dark (sinister, grim, oppressive)

Definition

黑暗 covers both literal darkness and figurative 'grim, oppressive' senses (e.g. 黑暗的历史). 黑 is just the color 'black'; 暗 is mainly 'dim/hidden'; 漆黑 is an intensifier meaning 'pitch-black'.

adjective
dark (lacking light)dark (sinister, grim, oppressive)

Examples

  • 黑暗，。
    Zhè ge fáng jiān tài hēi àn le, wǒ shén me dōu kàn bú jiàn.
    This room is too dark; I can't see anything.
  • 黑暗。
    Nà duàn hēi àn de lì shǐ ràng rén yǒng yuǎn wú fǎ wàng jì.
    That dark period of history is unforgettable.
  • 黑暗，。
    Tā xīn qíng hěn hēi àn, bù xiǎng gēn rèn hé rén shuō huà.
    He was in a dark mood and didn't want to talk to anyone.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
联合liánhéSide by side

Two parts of equal weight, alike or opposite in meaning, standing side by side.

黑hēidark
暗àndark

Both 黑 and 暗 mean dark, so together they emphasize the absence of light or a grim, oppressive mood.

Characters in this word

A drawing of the thing itself, worn down over three thousand years into a few strokes.

The shape of 黑 seems to come from drawing a head marked with dots, usually read as facial tattoos.

Open 黑 →

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
日日rìsun
Sound part声符shēngfú
音
音yīn暗àn
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

暗 pairs 日 (sun) with 音, which gives the sound.

Open 暗 →
Appears in
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